Today we take a close look at a custom training sword made in the Venetian style for practicing the European martial arts of the16th century. The pommel is a typically Venetian form called a catshead pommel. The guard is a tight S-shape that provides nice cover for the hand without hindering mobility. In the video we pay special attention to the grip and risers, and how they can influence handling.
The form of this sword is similar to a one-handed version of our Calliano sword. This sword was made to be used at last weekend's School of the Renaissance Soldier, which Nathan attended, and from which he is still sore.
Page 184 from Oakeshott's European Weapons and Armor showing variations of this type.
To explore similar custom projects check out some of our past projects, or send us a request fro a quote here.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is Vice President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985